Distance: 25.5km (233.1km), time spent: 9:56.
Weather: Almost everything, ascending from sun to thunder.
In hindsight, this was to be the best day on my hike of the Pennine Way, and to think of it that it was going to get ugly. And in a way it was, but in a good Pennine Way. Wanting to get across the Great Shunner Fell before the storm arrived, I was up for an early start, surprising myself when I managed to get out of my sleeping bag at half past four. Despite being only two tents at the campsite, the night had not been entirely quiet. The rabbits saw to that, their nightly activities was of the reproductive kind.
Squirrel jumping from stone to stone at the top of a fence in the morning.
With everything quiet around me, I wrap up the tent and all my belongings and walk down to the small utilitarian buildings of the campsite. There I prepare my breakfast and pack together. My tent is wet, a vanguard of the approaching rain appeared suddenly during the night. I am still trying to wash away the sleepiness in my eyes when I leave the small hamlet of Hardraw, there are no one else around. I am up and about at around a quarter to six in the morning.
View back towards Hawes in the morning, Ten End illuminated in the background to the right.
Up and about is all about Great Shunner Fell on the first part of this Pennine Way stage. In my guidebook, the walk over this renown fell is described as a treadmill in mist, crossing over a broad moorland crest that will be exposed in bad weather. And bad weather, at least according to the good people at Hardraw, is coming. There are little signs of that now, at least when I look in the direction I am going. Weather is surprisingly calm and nice. Ten End is bathed in the warm light from the morning sun, which I have yet to see.
At Bluebell Hill walking towards the lower slopes of Great Shunner Fell.
Peaceful it is, I spot a squirrel running on top of the stone fence I follow upwards. Then the mood gets more somber, as I start to pass by several dead rabbits about. Simon Armitage wrote about the same thing in his book Walking Home, but could not give an explanation of the mystery. I cannot shed any more light on the matter either. The sight brings a dark side to this bright morning, and can maybe sees as an omen of the things to come.
Sunrise over Stags Fell.
Tripping the light fantastic, scenery lighten up by the sunrise.
For the walk upward is lovely. I get the sunrise coming over the bulk of Stags Fell. Gently, the path is slowly undulating upwards on the lower slopes of Great Shunner Fell, providing views of the first of many so-called false crests that I will encounter. A warm light lies over the landscape, there is however a change of tune in the horizon behind me. Rising over the hills of Ten End and Wether Fell are clouds, in a lot darker variation than the ones already present on the sky.
View back towards Wensleydale.
With the sky turning darker behind me, I still walk unscathed towards Great Shunner Fell. There is a headwind and even if I can see the rain approaching behind me, it never reaches me. It is like it is being diverted to both sides of me, but never over me. When the darker clouds meets the brighter sky and clouds, the light becomes surrealistic. The gaps between the colliding clouds creates a lightshow almost worthy of a Jean-Michel Jarre concert.
Great Shunner Fell, there is something ominous behind that name.
It is however not difficult to understand the description in the guidebook that this could be a hard walk in pessimistic weather, although the introduced flagstone paths do have improved the footing upwards. When I finally arrive at the cross-shaped shelter at the top of Great Shunner Fell, I have had a wonderful walk up, but it took its time. With no rain and the only things falling from the sky was the focused rays of sunlight.
Directed sunrays through the clouds over distant moorlands.
Great Shunner Fell is the third highest in the Yorkshire Dales with its 716m. In the distance I can see Cross Fell, the highest point on the Pennine Way, I will be there in a couple of days. There is quite a lot of wind at the top while I am having a break. Quickly approaching is another Pennine hiker. He walks fast, but his backpack is accordingly light, telling me that while he walks his wife drives around in their camper van and picks him up when he has finished the stage of the day.
At the summit of Great Shunner Fell.
In the elevation profile of the trail, Great Shunner Profile can nearly be seen as a steep prominent peak rising tall to the sky, but as with statistics you need to read the captions carefully. It is all downhill from the top to the hamlet of Thwaite, but it is a mild descent to speak of. The other hiker stops up for some snack and offer me a surplus sandwich, which I gladly accepts. On the sky, Jean-Michel Jarre continues his lasershow. Or is it Pink Floyd, after all they were British. The great gig in the sky. Accompanying me on the way down are green rolling fields, with stone fences crossing over them in indefinite patterns and examples of the characteristic Yorkshire Dales barn.
Swaledale underneath a magical light.
The other hiker is quickly outpacing me on the rest of the way down. Thwaite is reached, a pleasant little village, but I am there too early to take advantage of any of the services provided. I was hoping to get a cup of coffee. The village lies suitable located between the two climbs on the stage between Hawes and Keld. I take the wrong way out of Thwaite, following the main road instead of a small road in the midst of the village.
The great gig in the sky.
Descent from Great Shunner Fell.
Whereas the Pennine Way over Great Shunner Fell was a walk over a broad expanse, the climb over Kisdon is more like a ridgewalk. There is blue sky above me when I climb up the grassy path. Starting out on the same time from Thwaite was a walking group, but they quickly lag behind. Before the Pennine Way heads round the western side of Kisdon, there are nice views back towards Thwaite with Great Shunner Fell behind.
Approaching Thwaite.
Leaving Swaledale, the path goes above a deep curved valley, never approaching the top of Kisdon itself. Instead it positions itself on the side, so that you can look down at the valleybottom with its river flowing through. Abandonded farms lies scattered around. Leaving the valley are small or bigger scars, with Buzzard Scar the most prominent, where a flowing creek forms several small waterfalls on the way down. A superb walk, but the surface is on the other hand uneven to walk on.
The unusual rare selfie, next to a Pennine Way wooden signpost in Thwaite.
Thwaite (on the wrong way out of the village).
It is when you come down to the scattered village of Keld that you will cross path with the hikers on the Coast To Coast trail. Given this, Keld can be busy with hikers and walkers, but I see no one else but the usual daywalkers when I arrive. It is lunchtime and I see fit to try out some new English cuisine at the Park Lodge Farm. Never in my mind would I have thought of making toast with spaghetti and cheese on top. It tastes strange, but is filling in the same strange way. The other group that left Thwaite arrives, having taken another route over Kisdon. Sitting not far away from me I can hear a familiar language, there are other Norwegians here.
On the slopes of Kisdon looking back towards Thwaite and Great Shunner Fell behind.
Forgetting all about the ugly weather, which I believe to have passed without notion, I set about exploring the surroundings of Keld. The village itself, although scattered and charming, is quickly done with. More time, however, is needed for the many waterfalls in the area. Here you will find the Catrake Force, Kisdon Force, Wain Wath Force and the East Gill Force. All the time in the world I do not have, so I make a less determined effort to see Catrake Force, but take my time visiting Kisdon Force.
The Pennine Way going below the top of Kisdon.
Timewise and walkwise, it is better to visit Kisdon Force on the approach to Keld, unless you plan to stay in Keld and have time after arriving. For me, that means I have to walk a little bit back on the Pennine Way, the reason why I did not visit it on the approach was simple. I was hungry. A nice little forest path takes you down to the river, the Swale. Kisdon Force lies in a beautiful setting surrounded by trees and consists of two waterfalls not far from each other.
Buzzard Scar.
Seeing that I have spent a lot of time in Keld, I have to return to the Pennine Way for the final leg of today. Back at Keld, the trail crosses the river on a bridge and passes by East Gill Force on the way up. This is also a wonderful little waterfall. Overconfident and happy to have escaped the bad weather, I walk up through the trees and arrives in the familiar open ground again. Then I take a look behind me.
Kisdon Force, one of several scenic waterfalls around Keld.
It came in the end, with a vengeance, a big black monster. Chasing me across the moors, by dark rumbles from above. Behind Kisdon, the sky is dark and now there is no escaping it. There is no question of if, but when. I set up my pace as dark clouds rolls in over me. Somehow it is quite fitting for the scene that awaits me. The dark moorland below the just as fittingly named Black Moor.
Keld.
At first there are only rumbles to be heard, no flashes of lightning and no heavy drops of water. I walk fast, wrapping my rain coat tightly around me, expecting the onslaught to begin any minute, but it does wait. An exhilarating feeling. Then the equally dark heath of Stonesdale Moor appear, leaving behind the few scattered stone barns I have passed by. A dark moorland in an ever darkening world. About twenty minutes before I arrive at the Tan Hill Inn, the rain finally starts pouring down.
On the way towards Stonesdale Moor and Tan Hill, chased by thunder.
Those twenty minutes are enough, I get soaked, but then the feeling of arriving at the highest pub in Britain is equally great. Inside it is warm with logs burning in the fireplace, people are sitting and looking out at the rain and thunder outside. The lightning finally arrives too, delivering another kind of lightshow on the sky. I have just got a bed in the bunkhouse, but it is a nice one. If I should complain about anything, it would be that the shower was cold.
Yorkshire stone barns and an approaching storm.
Seemingly it is a 'dramatic' afternoon. The rain causes flooding in a nearby village, Grinton, destroying a stone bridge and injuring a biker. Standing at the bar are two bikers, they are soaked and had droven over the bridge just before it collapsed. The water had reached them to their waists, fortunately for them they were driving motorbikes with high exhaust pipes. Paying for their beers, they are fishing out wet banknotes out of their pockets. The hostess has to dry them with a hairdryer, laughing in the process.
Stonesdale Bridge. Although I hoped to escape most of the rain gathering up behind me, I still had to walk down to this lovely little bridge and waterfall.
In weather like this, it feels great to sit inside a warm room and look out at the misery outside. There are a couple of breaks in the weather, and I venture out to take a look. Outside is a man looking expectantly towards the moors. There is a group of young cadets out on a drill and they are now braving this weather over the Stonesdale Moor. Later, I can see a small group of bedraggled figures coming through the torrents.
Warm inside the Tan Hill Inn.
Tan Hill Inn claims to be the highest inn in Britain, at 530m, and was the reason why I wanted to go here. Ana and Henry also walked here today and I spend the evening together with them. They live in London and work as math teachers. Each year, they try out new trails in England. In this weather, you need a solid meal, so I go for the Tan Hill classic Yorkshire pudding (sausage ring served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes with freshly steamed vegetables in a giant Yorkshire pudding. Gravy pan on the side.).
Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in Britain.
Earlier it was Jean-Michel Jarre and Pink Floyd, now it is Thor that holds a concert in the sky. He is less sophisticated, but it makes for a great evening when you are safe and sound inside. A wonderful day on the Pennine Way.
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